Militants in Syria are preparing a new provocation in Idlib's de-escalation zone, which involves civilians in shooting the staged shelling, Rear Admiral Alexander Grinkevich, the Deputy Head of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Warring Parties in Syria told a briefing on Sunday.
He noted that the Center was receiving "information about the preparation of new provocations by terrorist groups in the Idlib de-escalation zone in order to accuse Syrian government forces of ceasefire violations and strikes against populated areas".
According to reports, Grinkevich added, the militants "are attracting local residents in the Tekad and Kafr Nuran localities to take part in video footage of the firing under the guise of the alleged strikes by government forces.
The Russian Center has not confirmed any clashes between government forces and the militants in the area. "[The Center] calls on the commanders of illegal armed groups to abandon armed provocations and take the path of peaceful resolution of the situation in areas under their control," he concluded.
Over the past 24 hours, the terrorist group Jabhat al-Nusra (banned in Russia) has shelled the Idlib de-escalation zone 29 times. In particular, the provinces of Idlib, Aleppo, Latakia and Hama came under fire.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Russian Ministry of Defense
Based on materials from TASS